This week on TechHive: Sharing Netflix accounts just got easier

Jared Newman
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April 23, 2021

If you’re looking ways to defray the cost of cord-cutting, password sharing has always been a convenient—albeit ethically gray—solution. Just exchange some login credentials with a friend or family member, and you’ll both have more to watch without paying extra.

A new service called Slash is making that value exchange even easier. Slash lets you sign up for streaming services such as Netflix with virtual Visa payment cards, then divvy up the credit card payments with other people through separate bank accounts. It’s a way to share the costs of cord-cutting without the awkward quid pro quo of having each person pay for a different service. (You can also use Slash cards to set up free trials without being billed at the end.)

While Slash isn’t the first tool for helping people share their subscriptions, it is a slick way to make sure everyone pays their share. And while some streaming services might publicly fret about this kind of password sharing, I still think it ultimately does those services more good than harm. Read the full column on TechHive.

Weekly rewind

Apple’s new streaming box: The Apple TV 4K is getting an update next month, with a faster processor and what looks like a much better remote. While the new remote still lets you swipe across the surface to glide through menus, it now has a clickable directional pad around the outside, and you can trace your thumb around the outer ring to fast forward or rewind. The remote is also larger—and therefore less likely to skip between couch cushions—and has dedicated power and mute buttons. In other words, Apple tried to fix everything people hated about the old remote without ditching gesture controls outright.

The new box otherwise isn’t drastically different from current one, though it should be speedier with Apple’s A12 chip inside, and it will support Dolby Vision HDR at 60 frames per second. Apple’s also launching a feature that fine-tunes the box’s color output based on readings you can take from an iPhone camera. (The current Apple TV 4K and fourth-gen Apple TV are getting this feature as well.)

Unfortunately, Apple’s streaming boxes are still no cheaper than they used to be. The new Apple TV 4K will arrive in the second half of May for $179 with 32 GB of storage, and it continues to sell the much slower non-4K version for $149. If you want buy just the remote for an older Apple TV, it’ll cost $59 by itself. I like Apple TV, but it’s so hard to justify when so many other 4K HDR streamers sell for around $50. (I also think Apple should just make a smart TV already.)

Roku remote review: Speaking of new and improved remotes, I just reviewed the Roku Voice Remote Pro over at TechHive this week. It’s a $30 upgrade for current Roku players and smart TVs, and it includes both a rechargeable battery and support for hands-free “Hey Roku” voice commands.

Roku’s voice control options are still a bit lacking compared to other platforms, and it’s too bad the remote isn’t bundled with any of Roku’s players or smart TVs. But if you have a cheaper Roku player, it’s a fine way to get all the fancy remote features of the $100 Roku Ultra—including a headphone jack and programmable shortcut buttons—without spending quite as much.

The great cancellation reckoning: I got a kick out of reading this story on NextTV about how streaming services’ churn rates—that is, the percentage of people who cancel their subscriptions—have reached record levels according to a new Deloitte survey. Instead of subscribing to everything at the same time, people are bouncing around as they gorge on each services’ best programming. (Either that, or they’re sharing passwords with friends and family.)

For years, clueless cable apologists have insisted that streaming services wouldn’t actually save you money because you’d have to subscribe to so many of them. And for just as long, I’ve insisted that cord-cutters would be smart enough to pick and choose. That’s exactly what’s happening now as every major media company launches its own service filled with exclusive content. I look forward to seeing how these services adapt now that they actually have to compete for your money.

More catch-up

Save more money

It’s a bit quiet on the deal front today, but the TiVo Stream 4K has been steadily trickling down in price, and is now on sale for $35.54 from either Amazon or Walmart. That makes it the cheapest 4K HDR streaming device with TV volume and power controls that you can get right now.

The TiVo Stream 4K has some other virtues as well. Its home screen lets you browse the catalogs of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and several other services without jumping into separate apps, and its button-filled remote is highly customizable. Not a bad deal if you’re into the Android TV platform and want a streaming device to tinker with.

Thanks for reading!

Planning on buying the new Apple TV despite the price? Holding out for the $40 Roku Express 4K+ instead? Not sure what streaming device to get? I’m always happy to hear your questions and comments on the matter. Just reply to this email to get in touch.

Until next week,

Jared